Metal Ox in Chinese / Japanese...

金牛 is Golden/Metal Ox/Bull in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1901, 1961, 2021, and 2081.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 辛丑.

See Also:  Ox/Bull

金木水火土 is a list of the Chinese characters for the five elements in a comfortable order (meaning that they “feel right” to a Chinese person who views this arrangement).

The order is metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Note that sometimes the metal element is translated as gold. And earth refers to soil versus the whole planet earth.

金 is the symbol for metal (often means gold or money) in Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

In an interesting twist, in Japanese, this Kanji can also mean “Friday.” I guess Friday is “the golden day” in Japan.

Gold / Metal is one of the five elements that ancient Chinese believed all things were composed of. These elements are also part of the cycle of Chinese astrology. Every person has both an animal sign, and one of the five elements according to the date of their birth. See also Five Elements and Chinese 12 Animals / Zodiac.

金龍 is Golden/Metal Dragon in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1880, 1940, 2000, and 2060.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 庚辰.

See Also:  Dragon

金蛇 is Golden/Metal Snake in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1881, 1941, 2001, and 2061.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 辛巳.

See Also:  Snake

金虎 is Golden/Metal Tiger in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1890, 1950, 2010, and 2070.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 庚寅.

See Also:  Tiger

金兔 is Golden/Metal Rabbit in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1891, 1951, 2011, and 2071.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 辛卯.

See Also:  Rabbit

金鼠 is Golden/Metal Rat in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1900, 1960, 2020, and 2080.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 庚子.

See Also:  Rat

金狗 is Golden/Metal Dog in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1910, 1970, 2030, and 2090.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 庚戌.

See Also:  Dog

金猴 is Golden/Metal Monkey in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1920, 1980, 2040, and 2100.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 庚申.

See Also:  Monkey

金雞 is Golden/Metal Rooster in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1921, 1981, 2041, and 2101.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 辛酉.

See Also:  Rooster

金馬 is Golden/Metal Horse in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1870, 1930, 1990, and 2050.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 庚午.

See Also:  Horse

金豬 is Golden/Metal Pig/Boar in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1911, 1971, 2031, and 2091.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 辛亥.

See Also:  Pig/Boar

金羊 is Golden/Metal Goat/Sheep in Chinese.

In the Chinese zodiac and sexagenary (60-year) cycle, this combination occurs in years that include 1871, 1931, 1991, and 2051.

In the sexagenary cycle, this year is represented by 辛未.

See Also:  Goat/Sheep

五行 is the title of the five elements: wood, fire, water, earth, and metal.

The first character means five, and the second character is simply element(s).

According to ancient Chinese science, all matter in the world is comprised of these elements. One idea presented with the five elements is that when energy is added, the matter is believed to expand. When energy is removed, matter contracts. Oddly, this concept is not far from Einstein's theories and modern science. Just a few thousand years before Einstein.

More info: Wikipedia - Five Elements (Wu Xing).

See Also:  Wood | Fire | Water | Earth | Metal | Five Elements

鐵匠 means blacksmith or ironworker in Chinese.

鐵 means iron or tough metal.

匠 means craftsman or artisan. 匠 can also mean carpenter (in the context of woodworking rather than metal forging).

金屬制品 is the name Metallica in Chinese.

This literally means “Made from Metal” or “Metallic Product” in Chinese.

金龍 is the Chinese title for Golden Dragon.

The first character means gold, golden, or metal.

The second character is dragon.

This title has the same meaning in Japanese but is used mainly as a given name, Kinryu, or in reference to a certain kind of noodle soup in Japan.

金 is how the name King is transliterated into Mandarin Chinese.

The meaning of this character is metal or gold, and it only vaguely sounds like “king”. But it was used in many articles for famous people like Larry King. If my last name was “King”, I would rather use the character 王 which means king, and romanizes as “wang” or “wong.”

一言九鼎 is an ancient Chinese proverb used in modern times to talk of profound or powerful words.

The literal meaning is “one word [worth] nine [sacred] tripods.” The tripod is a highly-prized three-legged (sometimes four-legged) metal pot or kettle of ancient China. They are often made of bronze, and the Emperor would have large ones gilded in gold. See the image to the right for an example.

金剛 is a common way to call diamonds in Chinese and Japanese.

Traditionally, there were not that many diamonds that made their way to Asia, so this word does not have the deep cultural significance that it does in the west (thanks mostly to De Beers' marketing). Therefore, this word was kind of borrowed from other uses.

This title can also refer to vajra (a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond that originally refers to an indestructible substance); hard metal; pupa of certain insects; Vajrapani, Buddha's warrior attendant; King Kong; adamantine; Buddhist symbol of the indestructible truth.

劍 is pronounced “jian” in Chinese. When you say it, imagine that you are making the sound of a sword as it clashes with a metal shield. This might get you closer to the correct pronunciation in Chinese.

I actually wonder if this word came from the metallic ringing sounds of a sword in battle - but such knowledge is lost in history.

The sword is a symbol of a warrior. The one thing that a soldier in ancient China lived and died by. A warrior with his skills and sword proves himself of great value. A warrior who losses his sword instantly becomes worthless.

劍 is an excellent scroll for someone in the military (especially officers of all services - as well as enlisted NCO Marines since they still carry swords even if mainly for ceremonial purposes). Or perhaps someone who practices variations of kung fu or tai chi that involve weapons.

Please note that while this character is understood with the sword meaning in Japanese, you might be looking for the word “katana” which also means sword in Japanese but means “knife” in Chinese.

There are other ways to write sword, and here are a few...

If you are particular about the version you receive, please let me know when you place your order (Note: Special styles are only available from one of our master calligraphers).

錢 is the simplest way to say “money” in Chinese.

It can also mean cash, coins, or currency. It's also a surname, Qian, in China.

This also means coins in old Korean Hanja and Japanese Kanji (though they use a slightly alternate form in Japan, as seen to the right). In both Japan and Korea, this can simply mean “one cent.”

On the left side of this character is a radical, which means “gold” (or metal, depending on context).

On the right are two repeated radicals which currently mean “small” or “narrow” but used to kind of mean “tools” or “weapons.”

It's a bit of a stretch, but you could suggest that money = “gold weapons” or “gold tools” in Chinese. Many Chinese people would argue otherwise depending on what they know of or the way they understand the etymology of the right side radical. I've seen some who say it means “industrialized gold,” but I take that to mean “raw gold turned into coins.”